Sanchez falls short, pitches a one-hitter to blank Twins

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Detroit, Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT — Justin Verlander can still gloat.

Already third on the pecking order among Tigers starting pitchers in terms of strikeout records, Verlander won’t have to make room on his pedestal just yet.

He’s still the only Detroit Tigers starting pitcher with two no-hitters, as Anibal Sanchez came two outs shy of throwing his second Friday night, blanking the Minnesota Twins on one hit, 6-0.

After Sanchez struck out 17 Atlanta Braves to set the franchise’s single-game strikeout record four weeks earlier to the day, Verlander was teased about ranking behind some of his staff mates in accomplishments.

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“That’s OK, I’ve got a few other things,” responded Verlander, the author of two no-hitters, jokingly.

He’s still the only one.

Joe Mauer broke up the no-hitter with a clean single up the middle with one out in the ninth inning. Sanchez reached up after the ball, well over his head, then spun around in frustration and punched his glove. It’s the third time Mauer has broken up a no-hitter in the ninth in his career.

Sanchez threw his first no-hitter on Sept. 8, 2006, as a rookie with the Florida Marlins, and had been on the doorstep of three other near-misses. He authored complete-game one-hitters twice in 2011 and once in 2010.

The only other active MLB pitchers with multiple no-hitters are Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay.

It would have been the first no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher since Verlander’s second, on May 7, 2011, and the second in Comerica Park history. Verlander got the first on June 12, 2011.

Sanchez hadn’t walked more than two batters in his previous six starts, and only 14 total through his first nine starts, so it was a bit uncharacteristic for him to issue a leadoff walk to Jamey Carroll right out of the gate.

After a one-out walk to Chris Parmelee in the second inning, though, Sanchez retired 18 straight Twins before Eduardo Escobar walked two batters into the eighth.

He’d strike out the side in the fourth, end the fifth with a strikeout, and the sixth with two more, but he got a little help from his defense, too. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta snagged a slow-roller by Brian Dozier, leading off the sixth, and threw him out by a half-step to keep the no-hitter intact.

After Josh Willingham flew harmlessly out to right to open the seventh, Peralta snared a Justin Morneau line shot back up the middle, then Miguel Cabrera made a last-second adjustment to catch Oswaldo Arcia’s foul fly, after initially overrunning it.

Peralta faded back to snag a pop-up off the bat of Parmelee to open the eight, then Escobar walked. Pinch hitter Ryan Doumit grounded out, moving Escobar over to second, the first time that the Twins had a runner move into scoring position all night.

But Sanchez got rookie pinch-hitter Chris Colabello — who had no big-league hits on his resume — to strike out looking.

In the ninth, he’d strike out Carroll before Mauer came to the plate. He’d finish with 12 strikeouts in the game.

The Tigers gave Sanchez — who came into the game tied for 51st in baseball in run support with a 4.20 average — all the offensive support he’d need by the third inning.

A bases-loaded walk to Omar Infante, followed by a two-run single by Miguel Cabrera made it 3-0 in the second, then Don Kelly added a two-run homer an inning later.

Just for good measure, they’d add a run in the sixth, making it 6-0 on Infante’s RBI single.

Matthew B. Mowery covers the Tigers for Digital First Media. Read his “Out of Left Field” blog at opoutofleftfield.blogspot.com.